Yesterday, as I was working out, I suddenly felt like I got run over by a truck! It was really weird! I was doing chest press and did 2 really heavy sets (60 pounds) and suddenly, I couldn't lift anything more. I finished my workout nonetheless, but as I was going, my legs got achier and achier and I got chills and certainly didn't feel well enough to help out at the kids' field day, as promised :(.

So I went home, took my temperature and turned out to have a 101.4 fever. Wah! I called off our dinner plans with friends and tried to nap and take it easy. Last night I started feeling better and thought I'd shaken it, when I got up fever free this morning. Unfortunately, around noon, I had 100.0 again. Thankfully less and Advil basically made me feel better. So hopefully, tomorrow it will be gone! I have too much going on to be sick!!!

But, while the rest of the family played at the pool, I made myself a nice spot on the deck, in the shade (it was 95 degrees today, but at least low humidity, so quite nice with a little breeze), with water and a stack of magazines. Nothing like being sick to catch up on unread stuff!

Kai stayed with me and we planted some Morning Glory's in the back against the fence and in the front around the lamppost and the mailbox. Hopefully, they'll come up as nicely as they did last year.

And Kai caught a baby Praying Mantis and put him in a bug bottle with twigs and leaves. He found out Praying Mantis' eat ants, so he went to hunt some ants. When he put them in the bottle, we got to see the Mantis eat one from close up. Very educational! There is a nice urban myth attached to Praying Mantis', and another half myth and Kai will let his go tomorrow.

I really, really hope to have shaken whatever it is I have by tomorrow!

A quick one tonight as I should be in bed by now, but I'm too wound up to sleep. Not good, as I have a very full day tomorrow and I'm already exhausted from the week.

This morning, I first dropped Saskia off at school and then made my way to Kai and Katja's school. I dragged in Kai's bass, which is huge! And then attended the volunteer tea, where the volunteers were honored with a certificate and school stationery. It is always a really nice gesture I think and when you see the table full of certificates, it hits home just how many parents volunteer at this school. And I truly believe that makes the school so special.

After the tea, I made my way to the Artsmart closet to prepare for the Robert Rauschenberg presentation in the fourth grade. I had brought a bunch of magazines for the collages and really got into cutting out pictures with certain themes. Sports turned out to be in vogue and we didn't have that many sports pictures. All in all, they made some wonderful collages!

When the Artsmart was done, I rushed off to the gym for a quick workout. Unfortunately, I met my mom in the parking lot and she felt it necessary to announce then and there that she was permanently moving to the Netherlands, close to her friend of less than one year. It's a long story. Suffice it to say I felt I lost a dear, close friend today.

I managed to work out for an hour, as I was quite distraught and I could tell by how high my heart rate was all the time, it kept going way over my limit! I quickly showered and then called Rick and shed some tears. How good it is to have a loving husband! And, over the years, he has learned to just listen and not try to solve immediately. I thanked him for his calmness and then dried my tears and headed back to the school.

On the way I called my sister, equally distressed and then my best friend and after talking to them, I did feel better. At the school, my friend Ann and I selected the best pieces of Artsmart work of the 6th graders we taught and made a list of how many we had for each artist. Of course, poor Ann had to hear about my mom troubles as well. Hey, telling the world about my dirty laundry makes me feel heaps better ;).

I just realized, though, I didn't bring said list home and didn't call the organizer with the totals, even though I promised! Ack! I'm losing my mind!!

I came home, made sure Kai and Katja were ok (Katja was being a mother's helper at a friend's house) and then went to CVS to pick up medicine and then pick Saskia up from school.

Then off to the pool of course, where I chatted nicely with a Turkish man named Tarhan and Saskia and Kai had a great time. Rick came, watched Saskia jump in the deep and we ordered sushi for dinner. I was on the phone/on Messenger all night with many loving and well meaning siblings and friends. We'll be fine, I just hope my mom will be, I have my doubts :(.

I'm just a teeny, tiny step further in getting the art show organized for next week. I printed out the labels with names. Wow! What an accomplishment ;). But really, the printer is very finicky and just having one set of correct labels is exciting right now.

After the personal training session and cardio workout I did this morning, I ran home to eat lunch and prepare those labels. Then off to the school where I talked to Kai's teacher and we determined that, rather than wasting time calling all kinds of parents, I would just provide the cupcakes and juice for the party on the 7th. Sometimes I think we get bogged down in calling around for volunteers, when what's needed is just a few dollars.

Then I spent time wondering how I was going to mount 12x18 artworks on 12x18 black paper and still have room for name labels. I never figured that one out, so I'm at a temporary stalemate there.

So, off to the sneaker store I went. My old shoes were literally falling apart, while I've only had them for a little over 6 months. The place where I buy them is special, they let you try on 100 pairs of shoes if need be, just so you find the one that fits your feet best (a good sneakers should not feel uncomfortable in any way). It took me about 80 pair at the time to figure out, that only the most expensive Saucony sneaker fit that bill for me :(. Why? Why couldn't it be the least expensive??? But that's the reason I wait till the very last moment to replace them. And every time I replace them, they've undergone an "upgrade". And that always makes me anxious, because what if the upgrade means something will feel uncomfortable and I will have to try on another 80 pair to find the right one? So I happily pay my (insert large amount of money) after finding out they still fit marvelously. And I'd better keep running miles a day, so I feel I get the cost of the shoes out of it!! Thus the trials and tribulations of buying the right sneakers.

At 3pm I had a doctor's appointment. Suffice it to say I'm glad it's over and she told me she could provide me with the medication the rheumatologist gave me, so, yippee yay, I could cancel the rheumatologist appointment for June 6th.

After Rick got home, our babysitter Lauren came and took the kids to the pool, where Saskia proudly showed her her newfound courage in jumping off the diving board. And Rick and I went of to the Melting Pot and had delicious fondue there.

My friend Marie Anne just called from Singapore and I'm so superexcited, as they (hopefully, as she may bring her son Thomas) will come here on the 27th of June. Yippee!!! Life is great!

I just have to blog my dream from last night. Not only because it was just weird, but also because I hardly ever remember my dreams!

This one came back to me when I gave Kai a kiss on the cheek when he left for school this morning. I dreamt, that I had visited my sister and brother in law in Massachusetts, as I did last week, and that I was on the phone with my oldest brother. Somehow my sister became a part of the conversation and proceeded to criticize just about everything we had discussed about parenting a baby. This while we were completely agreeing during my visit.

I got very mad, especially when she called Saskia a girly girl and I hung up the phone. Then, somehow, I was at their house again and was trying to get water out of the faucet. But for a long time, I didn't get water, but red-hot fluid (colored red too, ew!). And then it became water.

I very calmly asked my sister and their neighbors, if they had changed to a cheaper water company. Their answer was affirmative and so that put everything into place for me. I told them their water was coming from Hell! The moment I said that last word, a fiery flash came out of the ground and suddenly I found myself battling (without any fear, I'm proud to say ;)) all kinds of scary mythical creatures and other hellish figures.

I combatted them all successfully and then saw Satan standing there (I don't remember what he looked like, unfortunately). We had a pleasant conversation, in which he admitted defeat. All came back to normal, and we realized that my sister's critical comments also had to do with the hellish water.

If anyone knows to interpret dreams, I'd love to hear what such a dream means!

I had enthusiastically set my watch alarm for 6:30 this morning, thinking I would work out before going on the field trip with the sixth grade. Well, I woke up, but I was way too tired to get up!!!! So I shut my eyes again and before I knew it, it was 7:30. Oh well, no extra exercise this morning!

After the usual hectic getting the kids ready and out the door (Saskia was very upset, because I was running out of time and she *really* wanted me to take her to school, so she could show me a move she could do on the playground, but I just had to be at the school by 9 and couldn't take her :(), I got to the school just in time.

At 9am, I entered a yellow schoolbus for the first time in my life! It was, of course, just like any other bus, but it still felt kind of cool. The busdriver had the most amazing nails, Katja and I noticed, I don't know how people can function with nails the size of Texas!

After about a half hour, we arrived at Arlington National Cemetery. My group consisted of 3 girls and 2 boys. We stuck with 2 other groups headed by parents I know the whole time, so we ended up having 17 kids under our wings.

They had been instructed many a time, that this was a *cemetery*, they needed to be appropriately solemn and quiet. Well, the moment we set foot in the cemetery, we stumbled upon a Navy funeral. We had to stop for the sailors to carry the casket to the grave and I think it brought home to the kids, that, while this is a beautiful place and an interesting place, it's not a *fun* place. They were very quiet and respectful the whole time (just over 3 hours) we walked around the park.

Our first stop was John F. Kennedy and his family's gravesite. On previous occasions I've wondered why there is moss growing between the stones at the gravesite. But last year I found out, it is purposely put there, it's imported from Kennedy's homestate of Massachusetts.

The kids had to answer all kinds of questions about things they saw along the way and one of the questions was which quote at the gravesite spoke to them most. Almost everyone chose: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

It is a powerful quote!

After a visit to Robert Kennedy's grave (and I'm always struck by the total simplicity of his grave: simply a white plaque with his name and a white cross, across from the grave is a smooth fountain with quotes by him), we quickly made our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as we had about 15 minutes before the next changing of the guard.

I have to say, I was impressed with the interest the kids were showing, we had to regularly tell them to walk on, as they were trying to read tombstones and trying to imagine what life was like when that person lived. It felt somehow wrong to hurry them, the others agreed with me, but we were on limited time and they had to see at least the 3 main "attractions" (wrong word for a cemetery, but you know what I mean).

The site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was in plain sun and quite warm. It wasn't crowded and we all got a good seat to view the ceremony. This ceremony remains impressive, everything is so calculated to the second! The clacking together of the heels by the guards is one single clack, not two. The presenting of the guns is completely simultaneous. And it must be so grueling to stand guard there in the plain sun of summer for a whole half an hour at a time! I was soaked through with sweat in less than 10 minutes! But it's a great honor to be part of the Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

After a quick restroom break, as some of the boys' bladders didn't hold out as well as the girls' (none of the girls had to go the whole time and 4 of the boys did! One wonders ;)), we made our way up Crook Walk to the Arlington House, where Robert E. Lee lived during the Civil War. The house is furnished according to the period and the views of Washington DC are gorgeous! In the room of one of Lee's sons a Confederate uniform still lies on the bed, as if he's coming home any time.

After Virginia seceded from the Union, the federal government seized the property and turned it into a national cemetery. The Lee's never returned to the property.

After the tour there, we made our descent back to the Visitor's Center and the schoolbuses. Then it turned out, the busdrivers had parked wrong and were in the paid parking, while no adults had brought any money.... but me! So I was the (very shortlived ;)) hero, when I paid for the parking and thus allowed us to leave!

Once back at the school, the very hungry kids attacked their lunches and I made my way down to the art room and selected the 4th grade artworks I'd want to show next week during the art show.

I had about 15 minutes at home and then it was off to the orthodontist with Katja and Kai came along to keep me company. We (Katja and I, that is!) also wanted to get a quick manicure and made the mistake of just popping into the nails place next to the orthodontist. Well, there is a huge difference between the different places, as these people did an awful job!!

Katja wanted to go home and go to the pool, so I dropped her off and then went to Saskia's school to her art show and talent show. Then quickly to the pool and we ended the day with a great Pizza Hut insider pizza. Pfff! I'll sleep well tonight!

Hmmm, I wonder if everyone is going to be bored to tears reading my blog for the summer. I envision it will read something like this: went to gym, went to pool, ate dinner, went to bed ;).

I imagine a little 6 year old girl is quite tired right now. I'm surprised she's not asleep yet (just heard her upstairs, Rick is with her). I took her to the gym with me this morning, she's grown fond of the childcare center there, after the big drama on Saturday. I biked for a half hour with Christine and then did a vigorous weight workout.

After the obligatory ice cream (the gym has a cafeteria), we headed home and got into our bathing suits quickly, as they predicted thunder storms by 3pm. By 1pm, Saskia was floating in the pool (with me shivering on the side ;)). I witnessed about a thousand handstands under water and an equal amount of flips. I had entertained the strange notion, that I might read some, while she played, but I found myself hoisting her and her friend up on my legs and launching them into the water instead. Great exercise, considering they're 50 pounds each!

I also had a nice chat with Elisabeth, who is here from Sweden and with several other acquaintances. This is what I love about the pool, it's a place to socialize. I know more people from the pool, than from anywhere else, I think.

Saskia held out there for 3 hours! She jumped of the diving board 7 times and it wore her out. Halfway through, Katja and her friend came as well, but it's not cool to hang with your mom at that age, so I just lapped up Saskia's undivided attention (and vice versa!).

Kai had spent the night at a friend's house (and we had one of Katja's friends stay over, they were remarkably quiet, it has to be said) and stayed with that family for the whole day.

Around 4, my dad came with my mom's computer, but it turned out her drive was shot (it's a new computer), so he's taking it back tomorrow. At 5, our friends Ross and Jeanne and their boys came over for dinner. We had delicious grilled chicken breasts, with pasta salad, corn on the cob and breadsticks and, of course, wine. All the while, it was thundering and lightning all around us, but it didn't rain till we finished our s'mores dessert (for those who don't know what that is: Graham crackers, milk chocolate and grilled marshmallows). Delicious!

The kids are off to bed and we're watching Everybody loves Raymond, which is a repeat.

I'm about to go to the pool with Saskia, Katja and Kai are both at a birthday party. The weather is hot and it's great pool weather, except the pool water is still frigid! But that doesn't bother the kids, they just jump in. Not me, though, brrrrr!!!!

It's been a busy couple of days and I'm afraid all of next week will feel like a marathon, the way it's shaping up! On Friday, after my work out (an hour of personal training and I was still quite sore from the day before!), I had a massage, highly necessary.

When I came upstairs, I noticed a huge hot pink stain on our carpeting next to my bed :(. Saskia had had an accident that night and her sleeping bag bled on the carpet. Nothing I used made any difference. If anyone has a suggestion on how to get hot pink out of gray carpeting, I'm all ears! I ran out to buy a dark gray throw rug, which doesn't look too bad. Still, this carpeting! There are so many stains in it already and we've only lived here 3,5 years!

On Friday night we went to Chuck's birthday party. It was a lot of fun and the weather nice enough to sit out on the deck. Summer is definitely approaching and the temperatures are finally getting nice and warm.

Yesterday I took a kickboxing class at the gym and oh my, I'm feeling muscles I didn't know I had today!!! I guess it's good I'm shaking up my routine a little. It was a fun class too, definitely good to get some frustration out!

After we got home (Saskia went to the gym with me), we went to the pool for the first time this season. Delicious! It always gives such a vacation feeling, even if it's not vacation. And it's always such a fun place to socialize, many people we know, we only see during pool season.

My dad came over for dinner and we had a nice time with him.

This morning we had Mickey D's for breakfast and Kai had an early birthday party. Saskia and I went to the gym again and then to the nursery for some geraniums for the deck. Now she's impatient with me, as she wants to go, so more later!

Woohoo, only one more day and we have a long weekend! I always get excited at the prospect of sleeping in, yet I usually don't sleep any later than 8, for fear of wasting the day ;). And what always seems like a hugely long time, 3 whole days!, goes by in a flash. The weather prediction is good though, so I'm planning on getting some perennials for the backyard, as there are still too many huge mulch areas for the weeds to enjoy and take over.

Anyway, back to the present. This morning Saskia suddenly had misgivings about going to first grade and leaving her old school behind. We talked about it for a long time, as I was surprised, since not 2 weeks ago, she exclaimed she couldn't wait till fall, when we drove by the new school. She also knows that school quite well, since Katja and Kai have been going there and she has Daisies there every week, plus, she knows quite a few kids there already.

As we were talking, the real concern surfaced :). It turns out there are no locks on the kids' bathrooms and she's afraid someone will walk in on her. The bathroom is in the classroom in first and second grade, so I told her that the teacher would know someone is in there and no one else would come in.
Then, this afternoon, after Daisies, I took her on a tour of the first grades and introduced her to 2 of the 4 teachers. She was all interested in the classrooms and especially all the artworks that were hanging on the wall. When I saw the classrooms, it made me want to be back in first grade :). Meeting the teachers was really nice, because they're really, really friendly and clearly enjoy the kids.

After our talk, I took Saskia to school, where she arrived late and I forgot to bring her lunch. She showed me all kinds of stuff she can do in the playground, like "skin the cat", I was impressed! Too bad she doesn't want to start gymnastics again.

I quickly ran home again for the lunch, as the lady that supplies the lunch at the preschool is a little ornery, usually and I didn't feel like facing her wrath ;) (the preschoolers get lunch provided by the school, the kindergartners have to bring their own).

All this made me way late for the gym! I arrived there around 10, chatted with Ann and Jeanne and finally got on a machine at 10:30. Then I decided to take a class, for the first time in months. It was a CRT (Cardio Resistance Training) class and, wow, I hope I'll still be able to move tomorrow! The hour flew by, because we constantly switched activities: quick stepping, then lunges, then squats, then more cardio, weights, cardio, weights, etc. A great class, I'm going to take that one more often!

After my shower, I treated myself to a Life Timer: a blueberry smoothie with fat free yogurt, skim milk and protein for lunch. I had it on the way to my parents, as I had to pick my mom up to take her to the airport to go to Holland, where she'll be for 6 days this time.

The drive to the airport was really smooth! Going in the middle of the day is definitely the best time, as Dulles airport can get quite busy, especially around 4-5pm. After a quick hug, off went my mom and I went back, just in time to get Saskia and her friend to Daisies.

The hour that they were at Daisies, I spent doing the household chores: cleaning litterboxes, watering plants, making lunches for tomorrow, cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry etc. Those things have to be done too, but wow, I could easily do without them and never miss them ;).

And tonight a group of us are going out to dinner, Rick is babysitting. It's great to get together with friends, it doesn't happen often enough!

Wow, first day back and it was immediately back in the rat race! I first had a great workout, nice personal training and then a chance to catch up with Christine. After a quick shower, I was off to the school to get things straightened out for Artsmart.

This month's artist is Robert Rauschenberg, who created collages and other artwork with photographs. So, I talked to Kai's teacher about next Thursday's class and then had lunch with Kai and then talked to Katja's teacher about postponing next Tuesday's class. The sixth grade has a field trip to Arlington Cemetery that day and I'm chaperoning, so doing an Artsmart lesson on top of that would be too much.

Since I was at school, Katja asked me to get her Civil War book from home, so she could use it that afternoon, so I went home and came back with the book (good Mama that I am ;)).

Then I ran off to get some geraniums to put in front of the house (the previous petunia's were more than dead) and to get the car washed (it looked brown instead of red!).

Just in time for an online meeting at 2pm I arrived home, quickly eating an apple for lunch.

When Katja came home, she and Leah and I went out to get a manicure, the first in Katja's life. It was fun to go with the 2 girls!

Then it was time to pick Saskia up from school and we played outside for a while. The Schwanns man came and I got the kids' dinner from him: deep dish mini pizza's and a chicken pot pie for Katja.

When Rick got home, Lauren, the babysitter, arrived too and Rick and I went out for a delicious Thai dinner. And now I'm home cherishing the memories of the day ;).

Wow, first day back and it was immediately back in the rat race! I first had a great workout, nice personal training and then a chance to catch up with Christine. After a quick shower, I was off to the school to get things straightened out for Artsmart.

This month's artist is Robert Rauschenberg, who created collages and other artwork with photographs. So, I talked to Kai's teacher about next Thursday's class and then had lunch with Kai and then talked to Katja's teacher about postponing next Tuesday's class. The sixth grade has a field trip to Arlington Cemetery that day and I'm chaperoning, so doing an Artsmart lesson on top of that would be too much.

Since I was at school, Katja asked me to get her Civil War book from home, so she could use it that afternoon, so I went home and came back with the book (good Mama that I am ;)).

Then I ran off to get some geraniums to put in front of the house (the previous petunia's were more than dead) and to get the car washed (it looked brown instead of red!).

Just in time for an online meeting at 2pm I arrived home, quickly eating an apple for lunch.

When Katja came home, she and Leah and I went out to get a manicure, the first in Katja's life. It was fun to go with the 2 girls!

Then it was time to pick Saskia up from school and we played outside for a while. The Schwanns man came and I got the kids' dinner from him: deep dish mini pizza's and a chicken pot pie for Katja.

When Rick got home, Lauren, the babysitter, arrived too and Rick and I went out for a delicious Thai dinner. And now I'm home cherishing the memories of the day ;).

Huge yawn! But before retiring, I figured I'd better write a bit. I did make it home intact, yay!

This morning I got up,did some push-ups and sit-ups and then took a shower. After some computering, coffee and cereal, I gave Stefan a last bottle and then we packed and drove to the airport. Wah! Much as I was longing for my own family, it was hard to say goodbye too! Would that we all lived closer together!

At the airport, I took a data port and went online and chatted to Rick a little. Then it was time to go on board. I do like the shuttles. Nice magazines (I read National Geographic's Travel mag.), nice snack (roast beef sandwich, chips, water and cookie) and flight.

We arrived exactly on time and Rick was awaiting me outside the security area, hand in hand we walked back to the car (after getting my luggage). It was so good to see him again! What a great guy, taking care of the kids and everything for 6 days!

We picked Saskia up from school and Katja and Kai were just coming home when I got back. I got major hugs from all of them. They all had missed me badly in their own ways and it felt good to be so important in their lives.

Even Brynna was very happy to see me ;). It's like I never left!

We ordered some pizza and just cuddled and chatted tonight, I read some stories and heard some stories. Great to be home!

Gorgeous weather today! I was awakened at 7am by the radio of the construction workers next door, which played "Born to be wild" very, very loudly! After a lazy morning with coffee and the computer (I'll miss those totally unconstructed days here! I remember them, but with all the school, gym and extra-curricular activities, it feels like I'm always living by the clock! I'm looking forward to the summer for that reason, so we don't have as rigid of a schedule.

Anyway, after lunch, we went to Newburyport to visit with Ayesha's Dutch friend Wia and her little boy. They have a wonderful Cape Cod house, painted in gorgeous colors and a great yard. We had fun chatting and stayed longer than we expected.

Around 4pm we went to shop for gifts for Katja and Kai for me to take back home. We went to Eureka Toys in Newburyport and I got Kai a book and materials to create a couple of electronics and Katja a Klutz book with instructions and materials to make slap bracelets. I already had the ubiquitous Barbie for Saskia, who has had a rough 6 days, crying every night missing me :(.

After shopping, we decided to take a walk on the beach at Plum Island. I would love to be closer to the beach, walking there is just so relaxing! When we retire, I want to get a beach house.

For dinner, we stopped at a sandwich and pizza place in Georgetown, where Stefan had his meal and we ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and chicken tenders.
At 7:30, Ayesha had a new mom coffee at a local community center, so we quickly went home to walk the dog and then got out to that coffee. I took care of Stefan, while Ayesha chatted with the women there. Stefan was mesmerized by the very colorful murals at the center, so it was easy to take care of him. I'll miss him tomorrow (well, Ayesha and David too, of course, but Stefan will change and grow so quickly now, this really little baby stage lasts for such a short time!).

Tomorrow it'll be off to the airport relatively early. I'm pretty nervous about it, but trying to put it all in perspective.

Sunday in Massachusetts. It struck me today how different life is with a baby, time just has a way to get away from you. We got up around 9 am, after a great night's sleep. Had coffee, a box of cereal and chatted. Before we knew it, it was 12!!!

The weather had greatly improved after yesterday's snow, bright blue skies and around 60 degrees. So, after our obligatory exercise, we decided to go for a walk on the beach. There is nothing like the beach for me (or for Ayesha), it's so eternal. The waves, the sky, the life in the ocean (last time I was here, we saw seals all over the place, this time what I thought was a seal turned out to be a seabird). We were concerned this morning, because of the "increased chatter" by Al Qaeda that was reported in the news. I'm not exactly excited about having to fly on Tuesday, but I'm trying to tell myself I can't outrun my fate. And my mantra "Who of you by worrying added a day to his life".

Ok, on to more cheerful topics. After the beach walk, we took baby Stefan and big boy Devon out to a seafood restaurant "Joe Fish". I had a great lobster! New England is definitely the place to eat those! We had a very nice dinner and now we're back updating blogs.

I'm definitely getting my baby fill again, here, I forgot just how adorable 2 months old babies are!! Oh, and yesterday, I bought him some black and white and brightly colored things to look at and he is now talking to the brightly colored ones, he loves them! He's a very smart kid! (ok, proud aunt talking here :))

Well, spring has taken a back seat today. I'm looking out the window and see SNOW! It's May 18th! We were walking in short sleeves yesterday and today it's only 43 degrees out. Brrrr!!!

Yesterday, we first exercised (Ayesha is happy I'm here, as she's wanted to get back into exercising and my insistence on an hour a day is making her do it too). Then we got baby Stefan ready and went to the mall. We had lunch at Bugaboo Creek, a very nice restaurant with a talking buffalo head.

Then we spent several hours shopping at Express, where Ayesha bought some new clothes and I could proudly walk around with my little nephew in my arms and get all the compliments about him :). He's simply adorable!!!

Last night we had a nice steak dinner and a friend came over, so we chatted and watched some weird dating shows.

Now, we're gathering courage to go out now, as the snow does not look inviting. But it is pretty neat to see it fall this late in the year!

Ok, here it is Thursday already!!! Wow, I can't believe how fast this week went! Yesterday, Saskia had her last "Appletree" show. The kids put on a singing show for the parents at a local high school. It was so cute! The ages range from 3 to 9 and especially the younger kids are adorable. The music teacher does a great job putting the show together every year. I sometimes almost have to cry, it's so sweet, those little ones! Saskia sang with fervor, her mouth wide open, she clearly got into it. She also loved her new dress and shoes and wore them to school today, hopefully she didn't make too many stains on it!

This morning, my mom came to get me at 9am and drove me to the airport, where I took the US Airways shuttle to Boston. I'll be here in the Boston area until Tuesday. My sister and new nephew (he'll be 2 months on the 22nd) were there to pick me up.

It was a very nice flight, I love the shuttles, as they go just a little further than usual in customer service. I had a whole row of seats to myself, I wish I had that on overseas flights!

We went to eat lunch in Topsfield at a quaint little cafe and then walked around in some shops, also very quaint.

After we came home, got the baby changed and fed, we took a walk in the neighborhood. The weather was gorgeous! 80 plus degrees! Unfortunately, it's not going to last, it's a weird spring so far, hot, cold, hot, cold.

I unfortunately ended up missing Katja and Kai's last concert at school. Katja's very last, as she's going to middle school next year, where she will continue Band and continue to play the oboe. Apparently they did quite well.

When Rick called to tell about it, he also said Saskia was very sad about my not being there and I got a sobbing little girl on the phone :(. It made me feel awful! She was fine when we said goodbye this morning, but now that it's evening, she missed me so much and was inconsolable. Thankfully Rick is just as loving a parent as I am and although Saskia didn't agree when I told her to cuddle with her Daddy, she apparently did later on and is now asleep. But it makes me feel sad, that she's so distraught about my absence. It's not like it's the first time I've been gone either, I left twice to visit relatives last year and she did fine. I think it's because she's more aware of time now and realizes that Tuesday is a few days away.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better for her! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying holding a little baby again and enjoying seeing my sister as a very loving parent!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Around 8am, Rick and Saskia came upstairs with a very nice little breakfast in bed: OJ, coffee, a croissant, poached egg and fruit salad. Yummy!

Then I got to read the cards (Saskia had made one with her handprints and a cute poem) and open gifts: a vase painted by Katja, a box of Godiva truffles and a very pretty ring with pink sapphires from Rick.

My mom called in the middle of that all, because she was concerned about my dad, who had had a lot of pain in his back overnight. He had fallen the week before while in Bosnia and then couldn't sleep from the pain that night. He went to an emergency clinic and after several hours there, it was determined he has a broken rib :(. Very painful!

After a quick workout and shower, we made our way over to my parents and then went to brunch with them. A *delicious* brunch! I ate way too much!!! And we had a great time, it was just very relaxed and fun!

After brunch, we quickly went to the Sharper Image, where my mom wanted to get a portable fan. Kai got his birthday gift from my parents there: a toy Mercedes.

Then we split up and the 5 of us went to the other mall, where they took me to the Build a Bear workshop. I created my own polar bear, Icy, and dressed him in workout gear, very cute!

Then we did some clothes shopping, and Katja and I each found a nice outfit at Express.

Once home, we were still full from brunch and decided to order some appetizers from TGIFriday's for dinner. All in all a great Mother's Day!

Today, I had a hard time with the Monday syndrome. The house was (and is!) a mess, the weekend over, everyone back to work/school. I quickly made off for the gym, as that usually greatly lifts my spirits. And it did. I socialized more than I worked out, but that's just what I needed.

Christine and I had a smoothie for lunch there, so I just made it home in time for the kids to get home. I chatted with several of the neighbors and then it was time to take Katja and Saskia to ice skating.

Saskia did her "exam" and was promoted to the next level class. Yippee!! :) Katja and her friend wanted to go to the gym so I dropped them off and then went with Saskia to get her a dress for her school show on Wednesday. I found a really cute blue and white striped one, with which she is very happy. She has entered the 6 year old "puberty" phase, like Katja had at that age. I'm going to have to pull out some parenting books again to find ways to communicate better.

Right now, we're under a tornado watch. We had some tornado's touch down earlier today just north of here, hopefully no more are in store. I'm looking out the window at a very dark sky, but the sun is shining directly onto the trees, making them look very vibrantly green. Beautiful!

Here we are on the eve of Mother's Day. Interestingly, Mother's Day falls on the same day in the US as it does in Holland. The fact that Mother's Day is celebrated in so many countries, made me wonder about its history.

I haven't really kept up with my blog since Tuesday, because not a whole lot of interesting stuff happened. I keep following the story about Pim Fortuyn in Holland. And I've wondered what it is, that makes someone popular like Princess Diana or Pim Fortuyn and makes thousands of people turn out for their funerals. It's a certain charisma, something rarely seen both in the English and in the Dutch society, both quite reserved and "down to earth".

After the gym today, I went shopping with my mom. I went for a dress and came home with 3 pair of capri pants and 2 sweaters. Hmmmm! I'm wearing the most flamboyant combination of those now: a yellow, orange and fuhsia sweater with orange capri's. I love colorful clothing! This season's fashions are definitely that!

After shopping, the kids and I sat on our front stoop and watched Rick mow the lawn ;). Those moments always yield the best conversations with the kids and I'm all up to date on their lives again!

Then we got ready for dinner, Saskia went to play at a friend's house, while the oldest 2 and Rick and I went to Sweetwater Tavern.

Spring is such a super nice season! And we're having a nice long one this year, normally it's much warmer in May already.

Strong emotions today and suddenly I felt so much closer to my country of birth again and ached for it. Everyone has likely read the stories about the resurgence of right wing parties in Europe. Haider in Austria, Le Pen in France and Holland had its own right winger, Pim Fortuyn. Had, because today he was gunned down and died of his wounds.

The Dutch are in shock. Many did not agree with this man's views, but the fact, that someone gets murdered by gunshots in the Netherlands is a rarity in itself. Let alone a (despite all the controversy) popular politician, who, in just 9 days (the election is May 15th), might have come from nothing and surfaced as the biggest political party in the Netherlands. One of the major Dutch newspapers ran an article just this morning, claiming he might just be prime minister if the polls were right.

And now he's dead. The suspect is a Dutch man. No motive so far.

We have a Dutch satellite channel here and we watched the Dutch news tonight. The Dutch are very shaken by this event. Supporters and opposers alike agreed, "this" did not happen in their country. And now it has.

Wow, suddenly it's 4 days later! Amazing how the time flies! Yesterday we said goodbye to Mark again. It wasn't as hard a goodbye as the last time, because I think Kai is realizing, that he will see Mark again. We had a wonderful week with him, Kai and he finished a huge Lego project yesterday.

Yesterday we ate a full American breakfast at IHOP, I had their nut and grain pancakes with a banana. Yum! After that, we went to Target, where Mark and Saskia got Spongebob Squarepants socks ;).

After dinner, we dropped Mark off at the airport and then had a quiet evening at home.

Today we're hoping to go bike shopping for the kids. Both Kai and Katja have way outgrown their bikes and we're hoping to go biking more this summer, now that they're old enough to have some stamina. There are some beautiful trails in the area, so I'm looking forward to explore some of them.

Since it is such gorgeous weather today (I think I'll go for a power walk today outside!), I thought I'd share some cheerful sites: Smileys, smileys and more smileys!

Smile!!

A quiet day today. I went for a workout and a personal training session. And then picked up Mark to go eat lunch at Kai's school. We stayed for his lunch and recess and then part of Katja's lunch and recess. Besides that, Mark helped Kai with his homework, we went to Glory Days Grill, where Kai and Saskia had their "ducky" drink, Sprite with blue food coloring (nice blue tongues!) and a plastic duck. We had great chicken wings too! Delicious. If you ever find yourself in one of those restaurants, order the wings! Then just a quiet night at home. Phew, feels nice, a relaxed day for a change!